Loyal to No One
by Walkman355
Summary: Daniel WInchester is just a young guy in America who's down on his luck. When a strange man named Masakaki makes him an offer to sell his future for cash, he makes this deal-with-the-devil to win money for him and his sister. But power corrupts, and money is the biggest corrupter of all.
1. Chapter 1

Loyal to No One

Daniel Winchester walked down the cold streets of Nashville in the middle of December. He stopped as he walked to look at a coat, _Sarah would like that._ He walked into the store and shook of the snow. He walked to the lady at the counter, "How much for that coat?"

"About 75 dollars."

"I see. Is there any way I can negotiate the price? My sister is sick…and it's almost Christmas."

The lady looked down in shame before her response, "Look kid, I would love to help you but I have bills to pay too. If I negotiate on that I will lose my job."

He looked at the ground in anger, "I understand." _Heartless bitch!_ He walked out the store and went back down the street until he reached his apartment. It was small, rundown, and the heater was on the fritz. He had it cranked to high in the room that his sister was in. It was the only place the heater worked. She enjoyed the warmth, but she wasn't able to leave or the cold would be too much. He went to the fridge and cracked open a beer and sat on the couch watching crappy TV. It hadn't been more than a few minutes before there was a knock at the door. "Yeah, yeah, I'm coming." He replied angrily. He opened the door wide and there was nothing but the cold night air. He closed the door and turned around. Facing him was someone who looked like the Mad Hatter from Alice in Wonderland, "Greetings, I am Masakaki from the Bank of Midas. I understand you are in a bit of a financial situation and could use some money?"

"Yeah…but I've never heard of the Bank of Midas." _Something's wrong here_.

"We are a privately owned bank in the financial district, and a very elite group of investors and entrepreneurs are selected to join are ranks. We believe that you would benefit from our exchange, so we would like you to join. We can guarantee you increase your profits a hundred fold, all that we ask is that you hand over your future as collateral."

He grinned, _This guy's nuts! Hand over my future? But I would like to have more money in my pocket. And Sarah could really use a good doctor._ "Masakaki right? You can guarantee my profits increase? All in exchange for my future?"

"Yes, what do they call them in your country. A deal with the devil? Selling your soul for your deepest desire? Except here, we only come to collect when you lose."

His smile grew wider, "Then I guess I won't lose then…besides, look at how I live now my future is better off sold. Can I get you a beer?"

Masakaki's smile grew almost as wide as Daniel's, "Don't mind if I do."


	2. Chapter 2

**I just recently finished the anime, so I'm slowly losing my interest for writing this, plus it was more of a hobby. I had no real idea where I was going with this. The next chapter will be the finale and will be released within the week. I'm sorry this wasn't up to your usual standards, I've just been wearing down recently and I'm going to try to focus on projects I enjoy from now on. I hope you all enjoy this.**

Loyal to No One

The man wore a black jacket with fur around the hood; his gray Def Leppard T-shirt went well with his ragged blue jeans. He wore Nike shoes and walked with purpose. His chestnut brown hair was shaggy, but well groomed. His green eyes glinted as he walked down the street. Another man stood at the opposite end of the street. "So you finally showed up…I didn't think you'd ever show."

The other man was African American, he looked like a common thug but the card in his hands said otherwise. He was probably some up and coming rapper Masakaki had duped into joining the Financial District. "Well let's get this over with." The first man replied as he swiped his index and middle fingers over the card. A man in a black suit and tie appeared before him. On first look he was nothing special, except for his grey skin and the skull mask he wore over the top half of his face. His black hair was pulled back neatly into a ponytail. "Charon, take care of this loser…I have neither the time nor patience to do it."

The deal began, and the other Entre summoned his asset. It was a strange looking thing, almost like a golem of old. It was stone with veins of gold running up it and its shoulders seemed to be stereo speakers. He swiped his card and Daniel heard, "Mezzo-flation. Shatter storm." The golem moved its hand and shards of stone erupted from his fists. The man in the jacket simply swiped his hand over the card.

"Micro-flation. Shroud." The Entre and his grim asset vanished into darkness and reappeared behind the rapper and his asset.

"Direct!" The rapper shouted as he wheeled around with the flimsy lime-colored energy shiv. He turned around to find an ethereal purple blade jutting from his chest.

"Direct! Closing." The deal was over as the rapper's money spewed out onto the floor.

"You are bankrupt." The voice declared as the rapper fell to his knees in shame. It had been the opposing Entre's fourth deal that week, and he was slowly gaining money and power. Masakaki appeared to them, "I am sorry Mr. 'Smooth Killa' Jones, but your luck has run out. As always Mr. Winchester it was a pleasure to watch your deal."

Daniel nodded and swiped his card and the world around him shifted. He was standing on the roof of a sky scraper that was hanging upside down, looking at the aurora that expanded before him. This was the edge of the financial district that attached itself to the Japanese financial district. He wished he could go there and see just who there was to fight. He had heard of a man named Soichiro Mikuni who was supposed to be the strongest man in the financial district. He wanted to face him and see what he was capable of. He heard the whoosh of air behind him and knew who was there. "Hello Masakaki."

"Mr. Winchester, shall I arrange another deal for you this week?"

"No thank you, I think I'll take the rest of the week off."

He returned home to his new penthouse to find Sarah glaring at him. "What? Work ran late tonight."

"Yeah, I'm sure that's it. What with all the ridiculous money you've stumbled upon over the last three years. Where on earth are you getting this! Are you dealing drugs, are you a professional hit man?"

"None of the above…I'm just a top investor in a video game company that's doing really fuckin' well."

She huffed and crossed her arms making her pouty face. "You've changed since three years ago…you're not your usual joyful self."

"Maybe it's because I bust my ass to be interrogated by my little sister. Who I pay for!" He said mockingly.

"Well you don't have to! I have a job of my own now!"

"Yeah I know, but you still live here, you still need to go to school, and you need you medicine and your treatments. The leukemia may be gone for now, but cancer's an uphill battle."

"Yeah I know…hey, will you take me to the Statue of Liberty tomorrow?"

"Sure, why?"

"Because we've lived here all our lives and never once have we been there, don't you think that's odd?"

"Yeah I guess it is…alright, we'll go to the statue and then get ice cream after. Sound good?"

"I'm not six anymore Daniel!"

"Hey, so long as you're my little sister I'm going to keep treating you like it."

She went to bed late, because it was a Friday. He went to the Financial District again and walked around the city. He enjoyed exploring the place, but he wasn't very social with other Entre's. To him they were just walking stacks of money he would break open like a piñata to keep the money in his own home flowing. He walked past a group of politicians and businessmen who were talking with one another. North America was full of people who were rich, famous, or in need of cash. It was a land of opportunity and investment. The Financial District here went through more members than Daniel went through socks. It was always changing, always new faces, always fresh blood. But it wasn't as if all people were Entre's, just those whose greed compelled Masakaki. People shied away from him on the streets and with good reason. He had a reputation as a reckless renegade who would take what he wanted and leave you for dead. It wasn't his fault though; it was just survival of the fittest, hunt or be hunted. He needed money he would take it and he didn't care who he brought down to get it. He was loyal to no one…and that's how he liked it.


	3. Chapter 3

Loyal to No One

Daniel was bored. He had recently gone on a trip to Japan to speak with a foreign investor about the next upcoming game from his company, _Terrascape_, which would use a new immersive gaming experience. It would be a PC game that used a special synapse visor that read brain waves and immersed the player in the game. While he was there he decided to stop by and visit Soichiro Mikuni and converse for a bit, "Hello, I'm here to see Mr. Mikuni."

"May I ask who you are?" the receptionist asked.

"Daniel Winchester, foreign representative of Vision Tech Gaming. I would like to talk to him about his endorsement of our product."

"Well I can call." She got on the phone and began to speak. Within minutes Mr. Mikuni was downstairs.

"I hear you are a foreign investor from a video game company. Might I ask why you'd want my endorsement?"

"Our new game has been a joint venture with a group of scientists here at the Tokyo Neural Research Department. It will allow immersive gameplay by reading the synapse of the brain and transferring that thought into the game. I thought you might like it for your…peculiar situation."

That sparked a flash of anger from his face, "We're done here."

"Wait Mr. Mikuni! I didn't mean it as an offense. I understand the burden you bear…my sister…she has leukemia. I was able to buy her treatment years ago when I joined the Financial Elite." I said as a code so I wouldn't alert any suspicions, "I know what it's like…I was just thinking…that it you'd be able to see her in the game. To talk and laugh…to enjoy life."

"But it'd all be fake."

"While it is a game and is assembled in code, I can guarantee its very much real. It reads the neural synapse and transmits thoughts and actions into the game. If you want to feel the warmth of the sun you can. But don't worry; we put a filter on pain so no one gets hurt."

He seemed interested, "Follow me then, while I think about your offer."

We entered the Japanese Financial District and he brought me to a certain vantage point to watch a deal. Down below was a young boy and his asset that looked like a strange anime character. His opponent was another man whose asset was a zebra with gold antlers; which made no sense to Daniel. The deal ran on for a good eleven minutes until the clock ran out, and at the end the kid had only made a small gain. But he had minimized the effects on his opponent. "Why did he do that? He should've just destroyed the guy and taken his money."

"Here at the Starling Guild, we believe in minimizing the effects of a deal and keeping people's future's intact. We want to make sure everyone has a bright future and that we don't alter Japan too much."

"But in doing so, you're killing your economy."

"What?"

"In North America, I avoid deals with heavy hitters so I don't change too much. Underdogs don't win, and there are plenty of chumps like myself who sell off their crappy future for cash. The kid down there is good, and one day I know he'll bring down a big leaguer. But me, I'm weak so I take down who I can. Over there, the strong prey on the weak. It's survival of the fittest. And that way, our economy doesn't stagnate too much because Midas Money doesn't flood into our banks. And with the fresh blood coming and going, we make sure that things are always changing. Your system will blow up in your face man…it's only a matter of time." He swiped his card and he was gone. He appeared at a ramen shop to grab something and saw the boy and his asset both eating ramen. "Well I'll be damned, I never thought I'd see an asset eat…you are a strange one indeed kid."

"Look, I'm trying to eat do you mind?"

"Not at all," Daniel said as he pulled up a chair and flipped it around so his chest rested in the back of his chair, "Name's Daniel Winchester, I'm from the North American Financial District, it's a pleasure to meet you." Daniel said extending his hand.

He seemed taken aback, "Uh yeah, thanks." He said shaking the man's hand.

"Good handshake. Means you are strong, and you've got some guts. You're asset is a lucky one to have you."

She blushed and continued to eat. Daniel swiped his hand over his own card and his asset appeared, "Anything you'd like to say Charon?"

He starred at them before bowing and going to get his master some ramen, "I apologize, he's usually a bit more social."

"He seems really grim, how does he represent your future?"

"How does he what?"

"Each asset represents an Entre's future…how does he represent yours?"

Daniel thought about it for a minute, "My sister had leukemia at a young age. When Masakaki helped me out, it was winter. The heater was on the fritz, and she would've died otherwise. The first thing I did with my winnings was buy us a bigger apartment with a better heater. I got us new clothes, and we had a real Christmas. It's been the first time in so long I'd seen her so happy. So I decided I'd do whatever it took to keep that smile. I fought tooth and nail to win in deals, and anytime a big shot would take me on I'd do what you did. Run the clock down, take what I could. I had loyalty to no man and I stole my way to the top. I know I'm just prolonging the inevitable but she's my sister…I couldn't just let her die."

"I see…I wish you the best of luck then."

"Here, mind if I have your number kid. You really peak my interest, and if I'd like to sincerely help anyone…I want it to be you."

Back in the states Daniel walked into his apartment where his sister had prepared a feast. "Welcome home!" she said. They ate and had fun, watching her favorite movies and talking. Then came the coughing. "How long have you had that cough?"

"Since you left, but it's nothing to be worried about Daniel I'm fine."

"I trust you; I just need to go talk to my boss real quick."

He entered the Financial District and challenged his boss to a deal. "Daniel, this is a surprise what's the occasion?"

"I need money to treat my sister…sorry Mack but you are who I'm taking down."

"Before you do let me ask you this…are you doing it for her or for yourself?"

"What do you mean?"

"Since the day I met you you've been ruthless in business. So ask yourself. Are you doing this for your sister or for your own selfish needs? At any time you could've asked someone for help and I know you have enough money to treat her yourself right now. You just want money for yourself Daniel…but hey, we all do."

Daniel swiped his card to engage the deal and Charon appeared, "I'm nothing like you!"

His opponent did the same and his asset Paladin appeared, "Keep telling yourself that."

"Mezzo-flation! Negative Zone." A black sphere enveloped the two of them and Daniel charged in with a Direct to finish this deal quick. Mack's mouth moved, but no sound came out. In a flash of binary code from his asset's shield and the field dissipated. "Micro-flation, Shining Blade." The field lit up and Daniel couldn't see. "Micro-flation, Shroud!"

He disappeared and reappeared on a building above where the deal was. "Macro-flation, Floodgate." All of his Midas Money from the attack flooded out and he summoned a Direct as he and Charon rode the wave in his Boat of the Damned. "Macro-flation, Becoming the Hero."

Mack's asset disappeared and he became clad in armor. He raised his shield and it glowed with light. His money funneled into the shield and with each dollar Mack's sword grew brighter. The boat skidded and chipped along the street and Daniel flew into the air. He landed before Mack and struck. His Direct hitting the shield and fueling his power. With a single slash, Mack carved a trench down that street as far as the eye could see. "Deal over. You are bankrupt."

Daniel was on his knees in shock. He had lost…all of it. Mack shook his head, "You could've done fine on your own if you had turned to me for help instead of attacking me…but you've lost. Do you know the legend of Charon? He is the ferryman of the Underworld. He helps souls cross the River Styx into the Underworld. He is death…and all you did is buy his time away from his target."

He was thrown out of the Financial District and he ran back home. He burst through the door and his fear was realized. Sarah was collapsed on the ground. He flipped her over, but she had a bullet wound in her back. "What the hell?"

A gunshot and he fell to the ground. His chest hurt so much. He rolled over and there was the shooter. "Smooth Killa" Jones. He backed up against the wall and Jones screamed, "Give me your money!"

"What money…I just lost…I've got nothing."

"Bullshit! Where is it!?"

"It's in the safe in my bedroom. The combination is 0035."

The man ran frantically and entered in the code. A loud explosion followed and the perpetrator was dead. "Dumbass…" He pulled his phone out of his pocket, "Diana, connect me to the number I gave you. I need to speak with Kimimaro Yoga."

The phone rang and the boy picked up, "Hello?"

"Yoga…it's Daniel Winchester…you were right kid…I'm only delaying the inevitable…we all are…so listen to me closely." He coughed, and blood entered his lungs. "You are strong kid…and your asset…she's special…so no matter what you do, you protect her…and you take your future back…you fight, and you fight, and you win…you take back the future…for all of us who've lost ours…stay strong…kid…" Darkness began to consume Daniel's vision, and Yoga's screams faded away. In the Darkness he saw Charon and Sarah waiting for him. He walked into the light, and he felt at peace.


End file.
